Read More

It will no longer be sold in the UK but will be on shop shelves elsewhere in Europe.

Top brand analyst Roshida Khanom, associate director of market research firm Mintel, said: “Timotei has been disappearing off shelves, as well as our TV screens, which has made the brand less relevant over the years.

“As Timotei remains a strong brand in other European markets, suggesting that the brand continues to have a strong offering outside the UK, removing it from the UK seems like a strategic move by the company to streamline their product offering.

“It makes sense for a manufacturer to trim their product offerings on shelf and focus on making a few brands strong and stand out to the consumer rather than having a lot of noise on shelf.”

Read More

“Where a brand could previously put some botanicals in a formulation and reference ‘natural’ on pack and it was enough to give the impression a product was gentle and safer for hair, nowadays consumers are more scrupulous about what they believe to be natural/organic.

“While Timotei’s brand positioning – free from parabens and containing organic ingredients – matches what consumers consider natural, the brand has seen little in marketing activity in the UK to bring it to the forefront of consumers’ minds.”

Invented by Finnish firm Lintas Helsinki in the 70s, Timotei exploded on to the UK market in the 80s.

Swedish model Gia Bremberg was the original Timotei girl, seen washing her hair in a waterfall or brushing it in a meadow in commercials from 1983.

The Timotei products were well known for being free from parabens.(Image: Birmingham Post and Mail)

The Timotei girl made a brief comeback in 2010 when English model Joanna Stubbs donned the white dress.

Mock the Week and Outnumbered comedian Hugh Dennis once worked as a Unilever brand manager for Timotei.

The Sunday Mail approached the firm after complaints from customers unable to buy Timotei.

A Unilever spokeswoman said: “Due to changing consumer preferences in the UK and our decision to prioritise some of our other haircare brands, we decided to discontinue our distribution of Timotei here some time ago.

Show more

“We’re still manufacturing the product and it is available in other European countries.”

Timotei could be picked up for as little as £1.50 a bottle in some oulets before it vanished from the shelves. Vendors on eBay are now selling bottles for up to £11.65.